1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to closures for containers and more particularly to an improved tamper-evident container closure.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Containers of the kind with which this invention is concerned are used to contain a wide variety of products including both liquids and solids. These products may be divided into two broad categories which are (a) products for human consumption or application to the human body, such as medicinal and non-medicinal liquids, solids, lotions, pills, capsules and the like, and (b) other products, such as household products and the like. This invention is particularly concerned with containers for category (a) products and will be described in the context of such containers. It will become readily evident as the description proceeds, however, that the closure may also be used on containers for category (b) products. While such containers vary widely in shape and size, they are all characterized by a container body having a normally upper portion or end containing an opening through which the container contents are accessed, and a closure in the form of a container sealing cap or the like to be secured to the upper portion or end of the container body for closing the opening. For convenience, this upper end portion of the container to which the container sealing cap is secured is referred to as the neck of the container regardless of the container shape.
A relatively few years ago, containers of the character described were commonly closed by simple caps threaded or otherwise secured to the container necks. Over the years, tampering with such containers, particularly containers for the category (a) mentioned above, has become an ever increasing problem and danger. In many cases, tampering has involved the introduction of lethal substances into the containers which resulted in the deaths of persons who later consumed some of the container contents. For this reason, an ever increasing number of product containers of the kind described, particularly containers for category (a) products, are being made tamper-evident. In this context, tamper-evident means that it is readily evident from the appearance of the container closure whether or not the container has been previously opened.
A wide variety of ways have been devised to render containers tamper-evident. Following are some of these ways: enclosing a container in an outer tamper-evident package which cannot be opened without altering it in a manner which clearly indicates the package has been opened; evacuating and sealing a container in such a way that absence of the sound of air entering the container or some other sound resulting from the loss of container vacuum when the container is opened indicates the container has been previously opened; sealing a container with a tamper-evident closure which is torn, ruptured, or otherwise altered when opened.